It’s not at all surprising that virtually all of the starters for the Vikings watched from the sidelines in street clothes on Saturday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium.
After hosting the New England Patriots for a pair of joint practices this week, the Vikings trotted out mostly backups and reserves for the exhibition game.
That’s how much stock head coach Kevin O’Connell puts into joint practices and the evaluation he’s able to get done in them.
That doesn’t mean the exhibition game was insignificant.
Though the Vikings suffered a 20-12 loss to the Patriots, they answered a lot of questions about their roster in the process while also leaving themselves with some areas of concern moving forward.
Here are some takeaways from the exhibition game.
Sam Howell left the door wide open
To say backup quarterback Sam Howell failed to build on his momentum would be putting it lightly.
After looking the part in the exhibition game last weekend, Howell looked lost in the exhibition game this weekend. His final stat line left something to be desired as he completed 1 of 5 passes for 13 yards while failing to get into a rhythm on offense.
The most concerning part wasn’t the fact that Howell struggled to move the ball on offense. It was that he made a ghastly decision that resulted in an interception. It was a very bad play for Howell as he panicked in the pocket, tried to reverse pivot out of it, then chucked the ball skyward.
That can’t happen if Howell is trying to build trust as the next man up behind franchise quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
Max Brosmer continued to turn heads
The progression of rookie quarterback Max Brosmer is worth talking about at this point. He’s steadily gone from being a fun story of training camp to a legitimate part of the discussion at backup quarterback.
In the exhibition game, Brosmer got every snap after halftime, completing 15 of 26 passes for 156 yards. He led an impressive march down the stretch before throwing a desperation interception on the final play of the game.
It will still take a lot for Brosmer to pass Howell and reserve quarterback Brett Rypien. He doesn’t have nearly as much experience and is still learning the intricacies of playing the position at the highest level.
That said, Brosmer has already shown a command of the offense, and he probably has more upside than Howell and Rypien in the long run.
Zavier Scott impressed once again
The juice that running back Zavier Scott has with the ball in his hands is undeniable. That’s part of the reason why he’s currently in a competition with fellow running back Ty Chandler for a spot on the roster.
It wasn’t the most prolific performance from Scott on the ground as he had very little room to run. He made up for it on a few screen passes, however, showing both explosiveness and a decisiveness after the catch en route to racking up 44 yards.
Tai Felton got a chance at returner
It appears that rookie receiver Tai Felton is being given every opportunity to establish himself as a special teams ace. He took reps as the punt returner and the kick returner in the exhibition game while also serving as a gunner once or twice.
There wasn’t much to write home about in that phase as Felton waved for a fair catch on the only punt he got to return before fumbling the only kickoff he got to return.
On a more positive note for Felton, he excelled as a receiver in the game, hauling in a pair of receptions for 32 yards. He has a chance to be a contributor on offense right away if he continues to make strides.
Meanwhile, receiver Myles Price had a 20-yard punt return, and 81-yard kick return, putting himself in position to potentially make the team.
Oscar Chapman is challenging Ryan Wright
It seems as if rookie punter Oscar Chapman has a real shot of passing incumbent punter Ryan Wright. They split punting duties in the exhibition game with Chapman and Wright each getting a chance to show off their leg.
Maybe the biggest tell that Chapman is challenging Wright is the fact that he got a couple of reps holding for kicker Will Reichard on a 54-yard field goal and a 47-yard field goal. That’s a very important responsibility that also comes with being the punter.
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